A Mere Fable
by RedRogue
Summary: Sit down, children, and I will tell you a story. A story of power, and of weakness. Of evil, and of good. Of Light, and of very Dark. This is the story of the most powerful man to ever come out of the Guild of Heroes... [game novelization]
1. Prologue

Sit down, children, and I will tell you a story. A story of power, and of weakness. Of evil, and of good. Of Light, and of very Dark. This is the story of the most powerful man to ever come out of the Guild of Heroes.

He was legend in his time, and a legend he remains, because of the glorious deeds he did. I will now separate fact from fiction for you, and I will tell you, children, from firsthand. I was indeed there when it all happened. I saw when the Dark Age was changed into the Golden Age we are in now.

Some people have squandered his life into _just_ this. A story, nothing more. A myth. A fairy tale.

A fable.

So I will tell you this fable, as it should be told:


	2. Chapter 1: The Oakvale Raid

Deep in the forest of Albion lay the small town of Oakvale, unchanged by time and untouched by the sword. Here lived a boy and his family. A boy dreaming of greatness, of one day being a Hero. Sometimes he imagined himself as a noble knight, or a powerful wizard… And other times he dreamt he was an evil warrior…

But for all his dreams of greatness he couldn't possibly imagine the powerful destiny that lay before him…

All stories must start from the beginning. So I will begin with our hero as a young boy. A vulnerable child, in the delicate times of his youth. Many tragedies happened during the Dark Age. There were many victims, and many who sought to fight back, or even seek vengeance, but they never realized what this particular victim was capable of though his strong force of will and desires for revenge.

But I am getting ahead of myself. This boy was naught more than eight, a small and scrawny lad, with brown hair and large gray eyes. He had an older sister, a mother and father very much in love, and a warm house to live in by the shorelines of Oakvale. There was no obstacle in his life that could not be solved with time. Oakvale was a sight for traders, sailors and sometimes even pirates. He had a content and happy childhood, and had never known much of anything about violence, or fighting, or even the war between Dark and Light, though he wished to, so much.

He would seek out the tales told by the elderly villagers, or the local bards, or those traders that passed through the town. Even still, all he knew at that point in his life were the rumors of Hero's exciting quests, the daydreams of adventure he brewed in his own mind, and he found himself lost in the reverie of them. He desired action, often wishing for a Hero's journey of his own. But never did he imagine one would be forced upon him that bleak day.

Of course it did not start as one. That morning he was awoken by his father like most other days, telling the boy to fall out of his usual drifting imagination. Usually his father would smirk and say:

"Daydreaming again, are you?"

In which case the boy would shrug in reply, having had this conversation too many times to defend himself with a response that was fresh.

"Hmm. Just like your mother, mind always wandering." His father would say.

This was not something to be offended at, for certain. Though the boy had not known this, his mother had once been a hero herself, by the name of Scarlet Robe, and had made a name for herself with many great deeds. But that is another tale entirely.

In the one at hand, our boy was told that today was his sister's birthday. A memory misplaced, for there was no more room in the boy's mind that was too full of dreams.

"I'll tell you what." His father said with a loving smile. "I'll give you a gold piece for every good deed you do in town. That'll be enough to get Theresa a present."

So the boy gallantly when down the hill to seek good deeds, and the opportunities were bountiful. Without much searching, he came across little Emily in search of Rosie, her teddy bear. A quarrel, a punch, and a thank you later, the bear was returned to her, and the boy had two deeds gained.

Nearby a man, who could barely stand still, came and asked him to guard some crates for him. Another good deed was now in his pocket, even through the temptation to smash the crates and steal their contents, much to the egging-ons of a small pathetic boy.

Two decisions of good or evil were already placed before our innocent boy, and he passed both as a kind-hearted person would.

He had the makings of a good soul, that one. But then, so do we all, don't we?

Three gold pieces in his pocket, the boy went off in search of another deed, for good measure. One more was all he needed, according to a kindly looking trader, then he could buy his sister Teresa chocolates as a gift.

Kicking a few chickens out of his way as the boy continued down the road, he heard voices coming from behind a house. Following them carefully, he found Mr. Murdock, one of his neighbors on the hill, talking to a blond woman rather romantically. And that woman was NOT _Mrs_. Murdock.

Shocked at this scandal, our boy did not know what to do. Should he expose him? Should he keep quiet?

Then as the boy was considering this, Mr. Murdock grabbed the boy and stared him in the eye with a gaze threatening.

"Don't tell my wife. She thinks I'm off working."

And the man offering him a piece of gold for his silence, but do you know what our Hero did? He didn't take it. Faced with yet another decision of good or evil, he still did not give in to the temptation of the bribe. Wiggling from the cheating man's grasp, the boy ran off in search of Mrs. Murdock. She was outside their shop, where Mr. Murdock supposedly worked. She didn't seemed surprised at the boy's news, and promised to put in a good word with his father.

So returning to his father, and then having four gold pieces to spend, he knew he had more than enough for a present for Teresa. So the boy went to the kindly looking trader and bought the sweets, and went to his sister playing in the fields and presented her with the hard earned gift.

She laughed having known this is what he would give her.

For Teresa, unbeknownst to even herself, was a seeress. She had dreams of the future but they were tossed aside as merely dreams… just like this is a mere fable, children.

So as they were about to go home to meet there mother as she returned home, and hold the grandest birthday party this town had seen, Teresa soon stopped the boy, sensing a splinter of something out of place.

"Wait." She said. "There's… something wrong."

A bold understatement, for at that moment, a villager ran from the entrance to Barrow Fields, yelling one word that meant doom for all:

"Bandits!"

But that was the last that man would say, for an arrow found its home in his spine, and he fell down dead in an instant.

"It's really happening!" Teresa then exclaimed in utmost fright. "They're here! You've got to hide!"

Our young Hero obeyed at once, hopping the fence back over to the field Teresa was playing in. There he stayed motionless, not making a sound, not even breathing, for fear had overcome him. He was still a child, you know, having never witnessed a death, and now death was dealt out in swarms. All on people he spoke to every day, people he knew personally.

Peering through the pickets in the fence, he watched another villager, Mr. Crenshaw, get stabbed in the back.

"Got one!" The bandit exclaimed triumphantly. That's when the boy's breath abandoned him, and seemed surely beyond catching.

Evil had come to Oakvale. Bandits wielding torches and steel, slaying and burning all in their path. Blood red flames lit the night as the villagers screamed and begged for mercy, and soon, their bodies filled the streets.

Then the raiders reached the last house, where the boy and his family lived. It was them they had slaughtered so many to find.

Their father fought to protect his kin, but he was no warrior. He fell, mortally wounded.

The bandits ripped the house apart but could not find the boy. Through torture and threats his mother and sister remained silent and their furious attackers took them both.

From the nearby woods, the boy watched as all he knew was taken away. His whole life was crushed to ashes.

He was alone.

-

Once he thought it safe, the boy ran frantically to his home. But before his foot crossed the end of the bridge onto ground again, he spotted his father laying on the ground, bleeding and very much dead. Shock overtook him, and the burst of emotion led to tears.

But he did not drown in mourning for long, for a war cry was shouted and before him was another bandit, a shirtless, tattooed ruffian coming at him with a sword.

Before the boy knew what to do with himself, the bandit was struck down, by lightning, it seemed.

Another, more brightly tattooed man was now his savior. The boy immediately recognized him by the brightly colored robes he wore as a wizard.

"We must leave." He said in a cold and commanding voice. "It's not safe here. They're all dead."

The harsh words struck the boy deeply, the reality of it all being thrown in the boy's face once more.

"You don't want to join them, do you?" The man insisted. "Give me your hand."

The boy hesitated, but having no one left, decided to take it. A strange feeling came over them, and the boy found himself transported to another place entirely.

Dawn came shortly, and the boy did not stop his tears. He cried himself sick, even. But the man held no sympathy.

"Hmm." The white haired man commented. "I thought you'd have a stronger stomach than that."

Anger overcame the boy at the man's hard heart. He lashed out, trying to strike the old man, but it was easily avoided.

"Come on!" The man said with annoyance. "Save your energy, boy!"

Too weak with sorrow, the boy stopped.

"It's not me you want to fight." The man explained. "You might not realize it, but I just saved your life."

It was true, and the boy knew this, but he was still uncertain of the man, untrusting because of the cold tone in which he spoke.

"There's nothing left for you in Oakvale, and if you'd stayed, you'd be as dead as the rest of them. Come with me."

Another hesitation. Another decision that must be made in an instant, but the boy found nothing left to lose, and found himself going with the man once more.

"My name is Maze, and I'm the head of the Guild of Heroes. You must have heard of it. You'll find no safer place in all of Albion, nor a better place to call your home."

The man spoke of the things the boy needed to hear: Safe. Home. It made his spirits lift slightly at the thought.

"If it's vengeance you want, you'll need the training only we can offer."

He stopped at a large, magnificently carved arched doorway.

"I'll introduce you to the Guildmaster. He'll be your guide from now on."

They kept walking, through the courts of the Guild and to a flight of spiraling stairs.

"What did you say your name was, boy?"

"Severin, sir." The boy replied shakily. "My name is Severin."

-

**Please review, I want to know what you think! Thanksabuncha.  
****Signed,  
****RedRogue**


	3. Chapter 2: The Guild of Heroes

As Maze and Severin went through the double arched doors together, Severin wondered if whether he should be nervous, or whether he was required to act in a certain way. But most of all, he was afraid. But fear did not paralyze him, you see, for he conquered that small flight of stairs. At the top was a single room, large and cozy, paneled with redwood, with two flights of stairs extending out of either side. A large map lay on a round table in the center, a map of the whole of Albion, with extending mountains and bright blue lakes. To the right of it stood an old bald man with a bushy white mustache, whom Severin assumed was the Guildmaster. He also wore the robes as a wizard, as Severin was sure he should begin to get used to in this place. Severin also noticed a tattooed symbol between the old man's large and kindly eyes.

"I have a new student for you." Maze said to the old man. "Put him in the dorm upstairs with the girl."

The Guildmaster scanned the boy over once and said decidedly.

"You don't look much like Hero material to me. But, Maze knows what he's doing, I suppose. Well, follow me then."

The dorms were roomy, and looked pleasant enough, but the lad knew it would never be home.

"You'll be sharing this room with Whisper, one of our brightest young pupils. She's playing in the woods right now, but you'll meet her in the morning. For now you should get some sleep. Your training starts tomorrow."

The Guildmaster left him then. Severin had a chance to mourn then, to shed a few more tears for his lose loved ones, and he did so. Finally, he cried himself to sleep.

-

"It's time to wake up!" Said a small voice of a female. Severin pried open his eyes to look upon a dark skinned girl, with bright green eyes. She wore robes as were common to the apprentices of the Guild, for that's what she was.

"You must be my roommate." She observed. "Hmm. Shorter than I excepted. My name's Whisper. I've been here for a month. Had the room to myself 'til now too, but that's all right. You know you talk in your sleep. Sounded like a bad nightmare. Happens to a lot in the first week. Some don't even last that long."

A comforting thought, to be certain.

She went on to explain that he shouldn't be late for his first lesson, and in his mind Severin rightly agreed. He had slept in his clothes, so he went straight to the Guildmaster to begin his training.

He always remembered that first lesson. He was taught inside of a small corral, with a straw dummy in the center, and was told to punch the target. His aggressions felt eased when he struck it, each blow against those cruel bandits, or even Fate. He decided then, that he liked it. It made the pain seem smaller somehow, or more ignored, and anything that did that was worth making a note to do again.

The Guild was now the boy's life. The memory of the Oakvale flames still scorched his mind. But soon, he had no thought other than training, and he became stronger and more agile with every passing year. His days were filled with grueling exercises, and nights with study in the library.

Finally he was ready to become a Guild apprentice, just as Maze had foreseen. The real training was about to begin.

"Get out of bed, lazybones!" Whisper said that bright morning. Severin peeked open one eye to see the dark-skinned girl before him, shaking him awake. But a young girl she was no more, for she had grown considerably through the years. Eighteen she was now, just like our Severin, who also was a young lad no more.

The Hero stood tall in his white apprentice robes, strongly built through all his training. His features had become more of a man's, with a chiseled chin and wide forehead. His dark brown locks he had as a boy had darkened into a steady black, while his eyes had lightened into a striking gray.

"We were supposed to meet the Guildmaster on the other side of the river…" She explained. "But that was an _hour_ ago! We'd better get going. Race you there!"

"What?" Severin mumbled, wondering why she hadn't woken him up sooner. Before he knew she was off running. Severin cursed, then grabbed his boot and struggled to put it on as he ran.

For all the years he had spent with Whisper in the room, having grown with her and trained beside her, he never really felt like he was truly her friend. Things were always a rivalry between them. They always fought for who was the better, never ceasing. Everything was a competition. She was more of a person who seemed there only to cause Severin frustration, or even anger.

Though he knew where she got this attitude from, so he usually excused her behavior. Her brother, the famous Hero Thunder, was always stopping by to see her train. He would always critique her, tell her how she could improve, and how he did things differently when he was here training. Whisper always rolled her eyes, but put up with him anyways. He was, after all, the only family she had. Her parents had died too. She had told him something when he was ten about them being traders by the Witchwood Arena. She said it was when Witchwood was overcome by Balverines that her brother and her were taken here.

With Thunder, she had a big name to live up to, so Severin could see why she would want to be better than him to impress Thunder. What the boy didn't know was that it wasn't her brother she was trying to impress.

On the other side of the river, the Guildmaster frowned upon him being late, as always. The lad had always wondered why the Guildmaster gave him more slack than the other students, but his good fortune wasn't worried upon too much.

"You can put that old stick away." The Guildmaster said that morning. "We'll begin training with _real_ weapons now. Here. Get used to the weight of this sword."

And the Guildmaster gave him a beautiful longsword of his very own. Often he had seen older apprentices walk around with blades such as these, and he had always envied one. Though he should have expected it, having just come of age, and Whisper being presented with a spear just the other day.

"See if you can hit Whisper with it." The Guildmaster said.

The students looked to each other and smiled evilly. Finally a fight to held between them that was allowed in this Guild.

"Come on, then." Whisper taunted. "Let's see what you've got, Farmboy."

He gritted his teeth at the name, though you would think over the period of ten years one might get used to it by now. But he knew what it meant. She had called him that at the dinner table one night, much to the arousal of the other students. She had said farmboys weren't suited for fighting, and that he should stick to chicken chasing.

They circled each other in the corral, while the Guildmaster had them do basic things, such as blocking and defensive strategy.

After a while of this, that Guildmaster said:

"Well done. Now let's see if you can combine attack and defense."

Unbeknownst to him, Thunder was coming to visit Whisper again. It had been a long time since he had come. Many months, at least. Nowadays they communicated by letters.

"Ah, hello, Thunder." The Guildmaster said good-naturedly. "Come to check on your sister's progress have you?"

"You could say that. Whisper's told me you've got her training with some Farmboy."

"Maze thinks the boy has great potential."

"Enough to keep up with my Whisper? Bah."

Whisper looked to Severin with a haughty look then, pleased at Thunder's boastings.

"Well, why don't we see? Whisper and the boy were just working on their melee skills now. All right children, let's see who's learnt the most in their training. This will be a no-holds barred duel, much like the one you will be doing in your melee exam."

Severin gripped his sword, and Whisper turned the spear in her hand. The Guildmaster gave the signal, but neither struck. They circled for a while, each waiting on the other.

"Ha, a little afraid of me, are you?" She taunted. She lunged, and got him in the shoulder. It angered Severin all the more, and no longer waiting for an opening, and decided to just _make_ one.

Our Hero attacked without mercy, swiping at her again and again, until the Guildmaster split them apart.

"No, that is all wrong Whisper!" Thunder said. "Shame you didn't see me fight in the arena. You could have learned a thing or two."

It was Severin's turn to shoot Whisper a proud look, for Thunder's tune had changed to support him instead. And what was a victory without a little glory? But Whisper would have it.

"I could have beaten him if you hadn't stopped us!" She insisted.

"We have few enough heroes as it is without the two of you tearing each other apart in training." The Guildmaster replied hastily. "And Severin, excellent. Keep fighting like that and you'll go far. Now meet me at the archery range to continue your training."

Whisper frowned at Severin, who followed the Guildmaster away. Thankfully there was no more competition between them, for she had already completed archery training, so she stayed behind to study for the melee exam.

The boy practiced on still targets, and moving targets, which he faired well in both.

"I'm very impressed." The Guildmaster said.

He told Severin to meet him by the Will training grounds when he was ready. But Severin was ready now. Before the Guildmaster could take a breath, Severin asked to study it now.

"Well, you did fair well on your archery, so perhaps… perhaps we can move on already."

This was the part the lad was most looking forward to, to see what he was _really_ capable of. He felt the tips of his fingers tingling anxiously already.

The dummies were set on the jetty by the river. Severin had already been practicing on his own, and was ready to show the Guildmaster what he had learned.

With all his might, he gathered his Will, felt it in him, and with some exertion, released it out his fingertips. It came forth in the form of lightning, striking the dummy nearest him, making straw fly everywhere.

"Very good, lad." The Guildmaster said. "You have now learned the three hero disciplines.

The boy mastered his skills quickly, but there was always more to learn. For years the Guild was his home, his school, and his life, but as time passed, his thoughts returned always to the world outside. The life he had lost. The family that had been torn from him.

At last, only the final day of tests remained. Success would mark the end of his training. He would receive the Guild Seal, and be free to forge his own destiny. He would become a Hero.


	4. Chapter 3: The Apprenticeship Ends

Severin made his way to the Guild Woods entrance after the completion of all of his exams. He felt a welling pride within him, knowing that he was almost ready to graduate, save for one more thing the Guildmaster wanted of him. He had told Severin to meet him there, but as always, the Guildmaster was there first.

"Before you graduate," The Guildmaster explained without any regard to Severin being late. He was probably used to it by now. "There is one final test you must complete. Go to the log at the top of the hill in the Guild Woods. The test will be revealed to you there. Good luck."

So Severin took up his best sword that he had won in the melee exam for the perfect score, along with the longbow he had won the same way, and went into the woods like he was instructed. He was nervous, afraid only of the unknown.

He saw Maze waiting for him where the Guildmaster had directed Severin.

"I suppose you are wondering how you pass the final test, then." He said. "It is simple. You must defeat… _me_, using all you have learned in your year of training. We will begin with your sword. So hit me, if you can."

It was surprisingly easy, this test. Severin moved almost involuntarily, his muscles using their memory of all he had been training in these years. The bow was next, and finally the Will. By the time Severin was through, Maze was out of breath.

"Quite impressive for a novice. You have passed your final test. You are ready to receive the Guild Seal from the Guildmaster."

These were the words Severin had waited so long to hear. Maze teleported out of there, and Severin simply walked out the Guild Woods entrance. He was absolutely beside himself. That was it? All these years… and he was finished? It didn't seem real somehow. He didn't feel any different. He didn't feel like a Hero.

_Maybe it's just the shock_, he decided.

The Guildmaster waited for him at the entrance, and beamed with a satisfied look on his face. It was the proud look the Guildmaster gave to all the graduates, like he had passed their tests himself. It made Severin smile too.

"Well, this is the day, lad." He said. "I remember the first night you came to us. And look at you now! Maze's faith in you was well-placed."

His praise could not have been more welcome to Severin. The Guildmaster's words could not have been better even if he had told Severin he was the king of all Albion.

"Now come along." The Guildmaster said, shrugging of the praise to be official once more. "The graduation ceremony will take place in the Chamber of Fate… the oldest part of the Guild…"

-

A large room, the Chamber was, painted with murals telling a story unbeknownst to our Hero. Some of the mural walls were empty. Perhaps there was still some story left to be told in them.

For now, our story led us to this chamber, where the Guildmaster stood before our two graduating heroes, in front of the entire Guild.

"Let the apprentices approach." He said.

Severin felt his legs move, but could not feel reality around him. The dark atmosphere made it all feel like a hazy dream.

"For many years now," The Guildmaster went on. "You have worked hard to earn yourselves the title of 'Hero'. Today that apprenticeship ends, and you'll go out into the world to do great deeds. Deeds that will bring you the gratitude of thousands, or strike fear into their hearts."

Severin wondered then why the Guildmaster spoke of 'striking fear'. Heroes were supposed to be good, weren't they? Then why would he speak of them doing evil? It was a question not soon answered to him.

"These are dark times." The Guildmaster warned. "The shadows of Albion are stirring and strange winds are blowing. Your choices, whether they lead you down the path of good or evil, will change the face of the world. Now, take your Guild seals, and venture forth as Heroes!"

-

He went through the double arched doors of the Guild as a brave man would, only this time, he was leaving it behind. Whisper had stayed to gather her many belongings, so now he was alone. He felt like he hadn't a home anymore. He was out in the world now, a lone man facing the whole of Albion.

A title vendor, having heard that apprentices were graduating today, had just finished setting up shop outside the Guild. But our Hero ignored him. And do you know why? Because he knew that to be a Hero, you must earn a title. Farmboy as he was for now, buying a name would make no difference to the people of Albion. He would be miniscule in their eyes either way. It was a piece of wisdom that came naturally to our Hero.

So he set off on his first steps out into this world, his first steps on his journey to heroism, facing it head on.


	5. Chapter 4: Bowerstone Slums

**Finally! At long last, a new chapter. I hope you all enjoy, and I thank you for being so patient.**

**-**

It was only then our hero realized he had no idea where to go. No home, nobody to see. Sure, he had a little card in his hand that told him people needed help in the picnic area, but where in the world was that, he wondered?

Yelling was soon heard, and a man came running down and told him that he should follow. Down a small hill, and you could already hear the buzzing. Wasps.

A giant wasp the size of a man was there, but you avoid the sting and he, er, _she_ was an easy foe.

People actually clapped for him once the deed was done, cheered and expressed their gratitude with noise. Our Hero could only bow his thanks, but inside, he was overjoyed. He liked this feeling he got when they cheered. It was a merely a taste of great heroism, but it was enough to make him crave more.

The Guildmaster instructed him to the town of Bowerstone next. It was close by-- just down a hill and beyond large wooden gates. A guard confiscated his weapons once inside, and the hero handed them over agreeably, though it felt a bit strange to have his weapons taken from him, since it had been a very long time since he had ventured unarmed.

It was also the first time in a long while that he had been among citizens of Albion, instead of heroes in training like himself.

He soon saw that Bowerstone was an industrious town, full of stone building and people. It was a merchant's dream, obviously, since everywhere Severin looked he saw more people selling things. There were weapons so large he couldn't even swing it once without exhaustion, clothes so expensive he thought he would never see the day he had the money to wear them, and even beautiful women that gave him a pretty wink as he passed.

But lo! Our hero had no eyes for their attention, for his gaze had fallen on another. Though our hero had no idea of this, she was actually the most beautiful woman in all the land. Oh, she was a sight, I shall promise you that. With hair of honey and an extravagant gown of lavender… Her beauty was famed across Witchwood, and even off to the far corners of Hook Coast and Oakvale. But all our hero could tell is she was definitely the most beautiful lady he had ever had the privilege to have seen.

He heard that Lady Grey was her name from a nearby guard. As she descended those steps up to Bowerstone North, to the mansion in which she lived, and those large wooden doors cut her from his sight, Severin promised himself that one day, he would win her heart. Ironically, that was exactly what he would have to do…

But wait a minute, I'm getting ahead of myself again. Ah, yes, our hero went directly on his way to Maze who stood waiting outside of the town tavern. Our Hero must have appeared very proud of himself, because the first thing out of Maze's mouth was:

"Been enjoying all the attention, have you?"

Severin smiled sheepishly and tried to coax his face to seem less proud of the completion of his first quest that surely must've seemed miniscule in the eyes of a man as esteemed as Maze.

"Most of Bowerstone is talking about it," Maze went on. "But you should let that kind of thing go to your head."

Maze informed him that there were things out there that would put his giant insect to shame, which quickly put our bigheaded Hero back in his place.

Maze went on to talk of how his actions would have an affect on the people around him. This was the first time our hero had heard of the more evil side of the fence. He figured Maze must be warning him because heroes from the Guild must have gone wrong before. _But who? _he wondered.

All was soon forgotten though, when Maze informed him they had reason to believe that our hero's sister, Teresa, might very well still be alive. Can you imagine the surprise our hero must have felt? After all these years, feeling he was the only one left to bear the name of his family, his sister could be alive! It sprouted joy in him, a new hope that he had not felt since the Guildmaster had given Severin his first lesson. As Maze teleported and left him, he pondered of where she had been all these years, without the aid of a mother and father. He had certainly lucked out when he had been accepted into the Guild, but what had happened to her after the bandits had taken her so long ago? He could only pray she had found refuge like he had.

Severin had no idea how to digest this information, and he sat on the tavern steps trying his best to let the worst of the shock pass.

But the fat, bearded tavern tender would not allow such a moments peace—not on his watch! As a particularly wasted costumer stumbled past Severin, almost falling right in his lap, I daresay, the tavern tender yelled:

"You there!"

Then Severin jolted out of his trance, and searched for where the voice came from.

"You! On the stairs!"

Severin looked into the tavern to see the old, bald man waving angrily at him.

"Either come in or get out of the way!" he told Severin. With a sigh, Severin hauled himself to his feet and went inside, not feeling the desire to leave town just yet. He took a seat at the farthermost table in the place, and stared out the window to get lost in his thoughts again.

"Olivia…" the tender beckoned the barmaid over to wait on the new costumer.

"Anything I can get you?" she said sweetly with a voice strangely smoother than most. Severin didn't even look up at the girl, just shook his head. He hadn't ever tasted a single drop of liquor in his entire life, and he didn't feel this a good day to start.

"You look glum, Hero," she observed. "Are you sure? This stuff is cheap but it could calm those nerves."

Severin finally looked up to the girl. If it was possible she was even of a lower class than him. Barmaids, you see, were well renowned as being… er… _floozies_. Also, they were almost always poor and wore rags that aged with their chosen profession.

But despite her poor clothing, this woman had a kindly and innocent face, which was half the reason their tavern thrived so. The other half of the reason being simply that people liked to drink.

But her clothes were keep as tidy as she could, all the holes mended and the hems secure. They were a rich sage green in color, as were her eyes to go rightly with her namesake. Her raven hair was tied back in a ponytail, which made to clearly show her pale face. She was neither pretty nor plain, but somewhere in-between. Severin knew that anyone compared to the angel he saw on the Bowerstone North stairs any other woman would not even come close, but her kindness was enough to convince him to buy a drink from her.

"Would you like one too?" his mouth spat out before he could stop it. For some reason our Hero felt lonely in this large world, without a friend in miles, and wished for this friendly face to stay.

But the kind lady just smiled and shook her head.

"I am not allowed. It's bad for business."

Even still she sat down across from him.

"I am ahead in my chores today, though. If your lookin' to talk, I can spare a minute."

Her voice was as sweet as honey tea, and just as soothing. He found himself comforted by her voice.

"It's nothing, really," he insisted. "I just…"

It was that voice that prompted him to continue.

"Have you ever lost any family?" he asked the woman.

"I lost my father long ago," she explained sadly. "Is that what's got you down? Then I don't suggest drowning your sorrows in drink. You'll only get more problems."

"No, no," Severin struggled to explain. "I lost my family long ago too. But just today, I found that one of them might be still alive after all. Can you imagine, after all these years, finding out that person you lost could still be out there?"

"No sir, I can't say I could," she agreed.

"Please!" a woman in the corner cried out. "Back away! Give me some air at least."

Severin saw quickly that she was surrounded by cheers, clapping hands and countless expensive gifts.

"Who's that?" Severin asked Olivia.

"Oh, her?" Olivia asked, looking at the pale, ebony-haired woman as well. "That's Briar Rose. A hero. She comes in here every so often to gloat and show off her latest trophies. She acts like she doesn't like the attention, but… she always comes back for it. Completely full of herself really."

"If she's a hero, maybe I could ask some advice from her, or maybe just a few tips."

"I wouldn't recommend it," Olivia warned. "But who am I to stop you?"

"Olivia!" the bartender called his only worker. "These floors won't scrub themselves!"

"That's my cue," Olivia said graciously, picking up her tray to go on with her daily work. "Come back and visit me anytime, alright, handsome? I enjoyed this talk."

Severin smiled and a blushed at the name, for at that time he wasn't very good with the ladies. Nevertheless, he agreed.

"I'll do that," he assured her, then got up to talk to the female hero.

"Hi, there," Severin said, extending his hand for the woman. She stared at him blankly and didn't shake it. She looked upon it as if he carried some ravenous disease which she would immediately catch lest she touch him. Severin let it brush off his shoulders and pressed on anyway.

"I'm Severin… I just graduated from the Guild and I was just wondering--"

She snickered and interrupted him.

"Ha! I see their letting the children out of the Guild early these days."

Severin frowned and his cheeks grew red as the man behind him laughed at the comment.

"You're not going to start chanting my name with the rest of these simpletons are you? Honestly, you complete a quest, start showing your trophy and the next thing you know, you can't get a moment's peace. I mean, just listen to them."

At this, the men behind him began to clap and shout some more, more than half of them probably her devoted admirers.

"At least _you_ don't have to worry about high renown and being followed everywhere. Now move aside will you? I don't need you crowding me too."

She began to shove his away, but Severin stammered in protest.

"Wait, wait! I just wanted to know if you could help me—I mean, I know I must be doing _some_thing right…"

She frowned at him, but seemed to humor him anyway.

"I take it you've got your first trophy by now. Unless you're completely incompetent."

More snickers arose from the peanut gallery in the back.

"I doubt it will impress many people anyway."

More laughs. Now the Hero began to get angry at this humiliation fest.

"You Guild kids are all the same. You graduate and you think the whole world is gonna bow at your feet. Being a hero is an art form, not a popularity contest. Can you move away now? You're getting in the way of my fans."

But our hero would not give up so easily. He threw some verbal blows back at her. He said:

"Well, see, I _thought_, with a _vast_ experience base such as yours… I mean, you obviously have many, many… _many_ years of experience… right? After all, if 19 years old is such a _child_ to you, I could only assume…"

"Why you--" she countered, but was too angry to finish.

"I thought you could at the very _least_ point me in the right direction." He said this more of a demand than anything.

"Sure," she said sweetly. "I'll point you in the right direction."

With that she lifted her pale finger and pointed to the door. An eruption of laughter arose like none before it.

Severin clutched his quiver closer around his back and tossed a tip to Olivia as a gesture of thanks for her kindness.

"Why don't you just give the hero game up?" Briar Rose called through the roaring laughter. "For Avo's sake. What an embarrassment to the hero name."

Severin didn't dignify her with a response and he didn't wait for the laughter to die down. He just stormed out.

-

**Please review.  
Signed,  
--RedRogue**


	6. Chapter 5: Orchard Farm

**Ha! And yet another chapter coming your way in a timely fashion! I am so proud. **

**-**

Our Hero found his way back to the Guild again by way of one of those Ancient Cullis Gates.

Now, I suppose you won't remember what one of those were, but at the time they were a wonderful form of transportation to get you from one place to the other in a blink of an eye! Truly a handy sort of magic that was lost over the years, most likely with the turn of events in the very story I am telling you, as they proved to be as dangerous as they were useful. I suppose they are now feared to be used, but back in the day they were quite common.

But in an instant the hero was back in the Map Room to accept his newest quest. With the Guildmaster standing near to offer help if ever needed, Severin glanced over the quest cards with care. On quite literally the one hand, he had a quest to defend a place called 'Orchard Farm' from a threat of oncoming bandits, and strangely enough on the other hand one of those very bandits had snuck in a quest card to get a hero to help them on the attack of the very same farm.

So, all too quickly our Hero found himself facing another choice. Should he save or raid this farm? Perhaps this was exactly what the Guildmaster had been talking about when he spoke of the paths of good and evil. The choices weren't just limited to the outside world; they could reside in the sanctity of this very building he had once called home.

Severin considered carefully, thinking of what consequences could be resulting from each. But soon he set his mind that he would not be one of those evil beings that the Guildmaster spoke of.

Though I will not lie to you children. I have to warn you, the temptation was indeed there, as is with all choices such as this. The important thing is, that today, our Hero did not give into it.

Yes, he took the quest card to save Orchard Farm, and set off to do just that. Once he got to Greatwood, though, he found he was once again lost. With confusion, he set off to the nearest archway he could find.

Once through, he found a little house build on a wide river. A dock stretched out onto the river, though no boat was moored there. An elderly man greeted him heartily, probably not having many visitors. He wore a large blue hat with lures dangling from the brim, and his overalls were wet as he cleaned his catch of the day on the river shore.

"You there!" he called at Severin. "What're you doing here?"

Severin held up his man, trying to explain.

"I uh, I think I'm a bit turned around."

"You sure are if you've found me and Fisher Creek."

He held up a large fish.

"Caught me this pike today," he boasted. "Plenty of fish in these waters. Would you like to try your hand at catching your own?"

Severin wondered if he should, considering that there was an apple farm in danger at this moment, but the old man didn't give him much of a choice.

"Sure you do," he insisted, thrusting an old rusty rod into the boy's hand and shoving him out on the dock.

"Just stick your lure out in the water and if you don't feel anything in the next ten seconds you're free to leave empty-handed."

So Severin did so.

"In ten seconds?" he asked the fisherman. "Are you serious? Are there really that many fish in this creek? Because I would think--"

But then immediately the boy was cut off by a tug at his fishing line. He reeled in quickly and sure enough, a large two-pound fish dangled from the end of his line.

"Wow!" Severin said, impressed. He pulled the fish from the lure and showed it to the fisherman.

"Keep it," the fisherman insisted.

"Oh, thanks," Severin said, truly grateful. "This fish will make a fine meal tonight…"

"Not the fish, the rod!" the man insisted. "Made it meself you know. Go catch yourself more fine meals. Come back and visit anytime too."

"Hey, thank you!" Severin said, heading back out the way he had come. "I have to go now, I'm already late, but I really appreciate it."

"Not a problem. And Orchard Farm is the next arch over. Hurry along now, sounded like they needed you. Good luck to ya."

Severin nodded and went on his way, passing through the large arch that said 'Orchard Farm' overhead, and wondered how he could be so stupid as to have missed it. His ignorance was soon forgotten, though, as the worried farmer and the anxious guards greeted him with information of the imminent danger.

Bandits soon swarmed in. Our Hero conjured the biggest batch of lightning he could, shooting electricity from his fingertips at the first wave of bandits threatening the farm. For the second wave, Severin pulled out the longsword he had won in the Guild for a perfect grade, and hoped and prayed that the practice and study would serve him well in his first round of real combat. Flashes of memories long suppressed now resurfaced in light of the events. Images whisked through Severin's head as the bandits came with swords raised and arrows flying, just like they had in that fateful night so long ago. The memories brought anger to the Hero, and anger brought yells and a newfound fury in combat that Severin had not yet discovered within himself. Each strike against the bandits was a strike against those cruel bandits from the night of his father's death. It exhilarated him like nothing else before it.

He craved more.

"I can't tell you how grateful I am," the farmer said. Severin noticed his wife casting flirtatious looks and gestures in his direction, but acted like he didn't see.

"The guards should be back anytime to pick up the rest of these crates. I'll be sure to put in a good word for ya around these parts."

"Come back and visit _any_time," his wife added, before they retreated to their house.

"Damn!" Whisper said, appearing out of nowhere all of a sudden. "You got here first!"

She pulled out her weapon in her anger and challenged the young lad.

"Stupid farmboy—this quest was supposed to be mine. I guess it's fitting, though. The farmboy was drawn back to his familiar territory. Fight me!"

"Whisper," Severin laughed at her quickness to violence. She didn't seem like she was ever going to change her ways. "We grew up together, graduated side-by-side. I'm not going to fight you."

"Too bad," Whisper said, lowering her weapon. "Because I am going to fight YOU!"

With that she raised her spear and lunged, but our Hero hesitated at pulling out his weapon, and simply dodged her attack.

"Whisper, please, be reasonable."

"Fight me, farmboy!" she yelled, and lunged for him again. Our Hero could not resist anymore! He pulled out his sword at last and swung for her, his blood lust still heavy on his mind.

Again and again he struck her, until at last she threw her hands up in surrender.

"Damn you!"

Oh, do pardon my language children. Whisper always did have a foul mouth.

"You beat me _again_!" she went on to say. "Until next we meet, farmboy."

And with that, she left.

-

The next quest was quickly swept up without much regard for detail, a mistake that Severin would surely not make again. For if he had read the fine print on this particular quest card, he would have realized that he was going into one of the most evil parts of our world, a place where night resided always, and evil and death resided around every corner, as it was home to some of the foulest men and creatures known to Albion. It was a looming wood that was so rightly named Darkwood.

The task itself seemed easy enough. Escort two traders through Darkwood to Barrow Fields. It was when Severin walked past the warning sign by the tunnel in the mountain that said: "_Abandon all hope, all ye who enter here_" when he began to grow nervous. Another sign by what he knew had to be Darkwood entrance countered the last one with a cheery sign that read: "_Thank you for visiting Greatwood!_" Nevertheless Severin walked straight into the forest.

He figured out quickly that Darkwood seemed more like Dark_swamp_. The air was cold and musty and close together, and a fog had come in making it hard to see proper. With every step his boots sank a few inches in mud, and the insects were like flying crustaceans.

As soon as he entered he was attacked by a flying pixie—horrid things, pixies. They capture you, eat you, or sacrifice you to their friends. Fast little devils too. Thankfully, this one seemed to get bored of the sword swinging irritant of a hero quickly, and moved on.

The Hero lit his lamp and tried to steady his shaky hand as to not scare the traders, wherever they were. Severin held his lamp a little higher and peered into the dark. In the distance he saw the two traders, their knees knocking and teeth chattering.

"Thank Avo you're here!" one of them said once they spotted Severin. "I thought we were going to die in this hellish place! We have to get to the Barrow Fields at the other end of Darkwood. You lead the way! We'll be right behind you! The sooner we put this forest behind us the better."

As he spoke there was a roar somewhere off in the distance that made them all jump in fright. He was right. Severin didn't want to spend a moment more in here than he had to.

"There are unnatural things out there…" the trader finished with a shudder. With that they started off, Severin keeping his sword in hand and his heart steady.

"Kind of a scrawny hero, isn't he?" the second trader commented to the first, as if Severin wasn't walking right ahead listening.

"He doesn't need to be a big lad," the first defended. "Just as long as he knows how to swing a sword or shoot a bow."

More howling came from the woods.

"Just as long as we _live_ through this," he added.

-

**Sorry about that little addition of the side quest in there, but it always was my favorite one. No more, I promise.**

**Oh yes, and one reviewer complained that I was being _too_ true to the Fable game, so in this chapter I purposely deviated a bit from the actual script. What do you think? Bad… good…? Should I keep it up or go back to word-for word? Please review.**

**Signed,  
--RedRogue**


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